A black SUV screeched to a halt in front of me.
The door flew open, and a tall man in black jumped out. His voice cut through the fog of despair.
“Eva!”
It was Lucas Grant.
He rushed to my side and helped me up, his eyes full of worry and urgency.
Lucas—once a poor student my father had sponsored—was now one of the most respected private detectives in the industry. I had told him in advance about my plan with Madeline, hoping for a sliver of backup in case things went wrong.
Only when I heard his voice did I begin to feel human again.
I grabbed his sleeve, my body shaking as sobs broke free from my chest.
“Lucas… it’s over… it’s all over. She threw it away—the dagger—into the sea!”
His eyes widened in disbelief.
“She threw it?!”
His voice trembled with fury. He had never liked Nathan—called him an ingrate, a traitor—but out of respect for me, he had always kept silent. Now, his restraint cracked.
I was crying so hard I could barely breathe. My vision swam, and I gagged from the force of my sobs.
Lucas' face was drawn with concern, sweat forming at his brow. Suddenly, he stiffened—then turned and sprinted toward the cliff’s edge.
A moment later, he whirled around, eyes lit with fierce determination.
“Eva, there’s still hope!” he said. “I’ve been to this coast before. The water below is shallow and rocky. If it didn’t drift far, we can find it!”
His words pierced the fog of despair clouding my mind. I looked at him, my eyes still red, but now burning with a flicker of hope.
He grabbed my hand, holding it tight. “There’s still time! Let’s go—we’ll search together. I know a safe path down.”
I nodded with everything I had left in me. “Okay!”
Lucas called his team. Soon, professionals with equipment arrived, setting up detectors and gear along the cliffside. Within minutes, they had calculated the probable landing point of the box.
My heart pounded. I rushed toward the shoreline, ready to jump in—but Lucas stopped me.
“Eva, your leg—don’t forget, it’s still not healed. You can’t risk it. I’ll go down. I promise, I’ll bring it back.”
It was only then I realized how numb my leg had gone—I hadn’t even noticed how much I was leaning on him the whole way down.
So I stood on the shore, gripping my arms tightly as I watched them descend into the water.
Each minute felt like an hour. The sea tossed them like toys, but they didn’t stop searching.
I clasped my hands and pressed them to my chest, silently begging—Please, please…
Finally, just as dawn broke and the horizon began to glow, Lucas emerged from the waves, soaked but smiling.
“Eva! I found it!”
He lifted his right arm, and there it was—the wooden box, dripping but intact, held high in the golden morning light.
Tears spilled freely down my cheeks.
Hope was not lost.
We had no time to spare.
We rushed back to the car, heading straight for the courthouse.
The trial was at nine. At best, we could make it by eight.
But as we neared the city center, the car suddenly stopped.
“What’s going on?” I asked, heart racing.
Lucas jumped out to check.
When he returned, his expression was grim.
“All major roads ahead are under temporary traffic control. Apparently… Blake Corporation reserved the area for some big celebration.”
What?
I opened my phone—and almost smashed it in rage.
Madeline’s social media was flooded with photos: she and Nathan kissing against a sunrise backdrop. In the background, I recognized the very area that was now blocking our path.
“Today, Nathan took me to watch the most beautiful sunrise. He even reserved the whole area to celebrate the 1,825th day since we met. He said he had a big surprise waiting! Stay tuned, everyone~”
I nearly screamed.
Nathan. Madeline.
They had blocked the only road to the courthouse—for their anniversary.
Furious, I called him.
He answered lazily, like he had just woken up.
“Hello?”
“Nathan!” I yelled, trembling. “Today is my father’s final verdict! Why did you block the road?!”
There was a pause. Then he scoffed.
“What are you talking about? The verdict isn’t for another three days. Don’t try to guilt-trip me.”
“You knew it was rescheduled!”
“I don’t know anything about that. Besides, Madeline was scared yesterday because of you. I had to cheer her up.”
His tone turned cold.
“Apologize to her. Right now. Or don’t even think about me testifying to reduce your father’s sentence.”
